A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy!

Snow & Fire Don't Mix

Ch. 19

Angel Of Death

"Why is her past a concern of ours?" asked John.

"Brooke's real name is Veronica Mathers," started Rogue. She tightly closed her eyes looking for peace in the darkness, but the freshly stolen memories were effortlessly seeping through. The images were so clear, almost as if she were actually there. She opened her eyes, focused her stern gaze on John and added, "Her past is now our problem because if you think she simply has obsession issues you're dead wrong."

John rolled his eyes. "You're making it sound more serious than it really is. What? Is she—"

"A murderer."

Taken back, he bit his tongue for a brief moment. "That's not what I was going to say and it's not exactly appropriate now either. Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Labeling her as a murderer is putting it lightly. Frankly, she'd be insulted."

'Angel. Scythe. Angel. Scythe. Angel. Scythe… death!' John smacked his forehead into the palm of his hand. "Angel of Death." Before the girls could respond, he explained, "She has a tattoo. The bitch showed it to me on purpose. It makes sense now. It's kind of like the movie The Ring. You watch the tape, you die. In this case, it's a tattoo. I was so disappointed with that movie. Not scary at all. It wasn't that good either."

Both girls shrugged.

"Neither of you saw it? Who the hell did I see it with? For some reason, that movie made a lot of dough. Oh, now I remember, I—"

"John!" Kitty said, raising her voice just by a notch to get his attention. "I know this vacation has been a nightmare for you but you're wasting time. Don't make me smack you!" They were friends now; she was able to say those things, and act on them if necessary.

Rogue took control of the conversation as well as the situation. "Before we decide her fate, I want to do some research and get all the facts. In the meantime, we'll have to detain this piece of trash. We'll need Bobby's help. Kitty, please go find him. John and I will move her to our room."

"You got it." She was halfway through the door when she heard Rogue call her name.

"On second thought, when you find Bobby come back here," instructed Rogue.

Kitty gave the thumbs up in acknowledgment and disappeared.

"I didn't know you were the leader type, Rogue. It's sexy. I'd take orders from you."

Ignoring John, she brushed past him to get to the far side of the room, "Help me find her clothes."

He scanned the closet near the entrance to the room but it was empty. The dresser drawers were empty too. John pulled open the bottom drawer of the nightstand and found a pad and a brochure for the lodge. He closed the drawer and opened the top one. Immediately something useful caught John's eye. Without hesitation, he took it and slid it into his pocket.

"Here they are," Rogue announced. "She has sticky fingers as well."

He stood beside her, peering into the closet, which was full of stolen items. "Yeah, that's kind of how we met."

"John, you need a shower … you smell like her, like cheap perfume," she said, bitterly.

"As soon as I get the chance, I'll cleanse myself of Veronica."

Now that, that was off her chest and settled, she changed the subject, "That's going to come in handy," she said, pointing to a laptop.

John pulled down a black backpack from the top shelf. He unzipped the bag and his eyes widened. "For all the shit I've been through on this trip … I truly deserve this." His grip around the bag tightened and he brought it closer to his chest, almost hugging it.

She glared at him, disapproving. He smiled, "I'll buy you something nice, Rogue."

"Thanks," she said derisively. Rogue pulled clothing off the hangers. "While I get her dressed, see if you can find anything else that belongs to her."

John slung the backpack over his shoulders. "How are they going to be able to give the money back to the rightful owners? No one marks their bills … except for Bobby."

"We can't take it. End of story, Allerdyce."

Under the bed, he was musing over four words she had just said. He popped out from under the bed, so he would be able to see her reaction. He waited for her to look up at him before saying a word. He cocked his head to the side, "You do realize Scott says that to me all the time." She was about to reply but he didn't give her a chance. "End of story, Allerdyce," John repeated, mimicking the tone and hand gestures used by Scott.

Rogue smiled. His impression was spot on. "It just slipped out."

"You're in leader mode. I forgive you." He winked at her and then continued investigating under the bed. He looked under the mattresses, beds, behind the furniture, and television set, but the room was clean, generally speaking.

John crouched beside Rogue. "I couldn't find anything else." He glanced at Veronica, and then turned his gaze to Rogue, "How much time do we have?"

"Plenty."

He rested his hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

"Not really but I'll be fine once this is all over." She finished dressing the blonde on the floor in front of her. Rogue rubbed her temples and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Her eyes finally met his. "I'm being short with you, aren't I?"

He nodded. "For the most part, but I understand. Is there anything I can do?"

"Put her in there," she said, pointing towards the bathroom.

"No." John half smiled and spoke softly, "I meant … is there anything I can do for you?"

"Put her in there," Rogue repeated. She took a deep breath and sighed. "My well-being is going to have to wait."

His gaze left her for a moment to take a quick glance at the area she was pointing at. "I thought she was destined for somewhere else by the warm clothing you put on her." He scooped Veronica's immobile body in his arms and stood up. "She's so much more tolerable this way. Do you want her anywhere specific?"

"Tub." Rogue rose to her feet, walked to the closet, pulled out the laptop, and placed it on the bed before sitting herself. "I can picture the confusion on your face." She said while gazing at the laptop. "The questions formulating within your subconscious will be answered shortly."

"Right," he said, unsure to say what was really on his mind. Rogue was acting odd. What wasn't she telling him? If he could, he'd wish the burden away altogether. She already had shitloads to deal with and now this? John turned around and shook his head as he walked to the bathroom with Veronica in his arms. He pushed the shower curtain to the side, gently placed her in the tub, crossed his arms, and stared at her. Three questions came to mind: Motive? How many people did she kill? How were they killed? On a personal level, John wanted to know how her victims were killed. After all, less than an hour ago, he was almost one of them.

After a few minutes had passed, he exited the bathroom and purposely left the door open. Even though Veronica didn't currently pose as a threat, he wasn't going to take any chances.

"What did you find?" John asked Rouge as he sat next to her on the bed.

"Veronica lived in Connecticut and went to Greenwich High School. Her parents died when she was 12. She lived—" Rogue paused for a moment, "Something is missing. You should be playing with your lighter right about now. I'm used to talking over it."

He shrugged and motioned with his hand for her to read on. Nevertheless, losing his precious lighter was still a sore subject. However, John's fingers were indeed twitching, urgently looking for something to do. He yearned to touch her. Her auburn hair was teasing him, the smell intoxicating. Her alluring soft lips. Her deadly, but soft pure skin. Anything! Unfortunately, the timing was utterly wrong, forcing him to restrain those feelings.

Rogue continued, "At age eighteen Veronica was able to claim the inheritance her parents left her. She dropped out of school a few months before graduation, moved out of her aunt's house, and wasn't heard from again."

"Inheritance? Any details on that?" he questioned.

"No."

"How many people did she kill?"

"I haven't found that out yet, John. Frankly, I don't want to know, but it's crucial we find as much information as we can."

"Kitty could help you. She told me she's good at computer hacking, which I never knew until a few hours ago."

"She's very good. It should be a piece of cake for her. It's not like hacking into the White House." Rogue said, nonchalantly.

"She's done that?" John was impressed. Kitty didn't mention it earlier but she wasn't one to brag.

She nodded.

John mouthed 'wow' and Rogue softly smiled. She scrolled down the page and her expression changed. "She escaped the Gilissen Hospital for the Criminally Insane with an orderly's help, whom of which she befriended and killed a few hours after escaping."

"How was he killed?" he asked, eagerly.

"That information isn't provided." Rogue heard voices in the hall. She looked up and glanced at the door. Seconds later, Kitty phased into the room with Bobby right behind her. Rogue put the laptop aside on the bed and stood up in unison with John.

"Bobby knows what I know," Kitty stated.

Rogue strode over to Bobby and put her arm around his shoulders. Walking him towards the bathroom and stopping in front of it, she said, "This is what I want you to do."

Bobby finished in just minutes, proclaiming, "I liked the challenge on this, Rogue." He emerged from the bathroom with a proud smile. Rogue was first to look at his ice prison, followed by John.

Veronica's wrists were shackled to the base of the tub by ice. The rest looked like a cell. Vertical bars surrounded the entire tub. Instantly, John rolled his eyes at the excessive use of Iceman's power.

"Perfect. Will she be warm enough?" asked Rogue.

Unexpectedly John chimed in, "The temperature doesn't have to be freezing cold to keep the ice intact where we have to worry about her getting frostbite. If Bobby made it 35 below zero that would be a different story. In that case, it takes just 15 minutes for a person with exposed skin to get frostbite. The first symptom is discoloration of the skin and th—"

Rogue cut him off to ask, "How do you know so much about … this?"

"Ice Road Truckers."

"You watch that?" asked Kitty, flabbergasted in disbelief.

"It's interesting." John's face lit up. "Why did I not think of this before? We should ship Bobby over to Yellowknife to maintain the road!"

"Are you nuts? I can't do that. It'll kill me! Why don't you become a firefighter, huh?"

John smirked. "I wouldn't make a very good one if I were to increase the flames and start them in the first place, now would I? Plus you have to train and go to fire school. Pyromaniacs cannot become firefighters. It's like an oxymoron." He walked behind Kitty and turned around to look at his roommate. "I guess you can stay. There are those that actually might miss you," he paused on purpose, then added, "and shed tears if you left."

Kitty felt her cheeks burn. When Bobby wasn't looking she elbowed John in the ribs. He winced to himself and briefly chuckled soon after while rubbing his side. However, she wasn't finished just yet. Kitty slightly leaned back, grabbed John's shirt by the collar, and pulled to whisper in his ear, "Next time," she said, "my aim will be much lower."

When she released her hold on his collar, John smirked and took a few steps back. 'Touché' he thought.

Rogue took a deep breath. "Alright, so Bobby is going to sleep here tonight. Kitty and I are going to go deeper into Veronica's past. And—"

"And I'm going to take a shower," John said, finishing the sentence for her as he paced towards the door. He stopped by Rogue and gave her a quick kiss on top of her head, stealing a whiff of her scent before exiting the room.

John came out of the bathroom just wearing black boxers with his hair still damp from the shower. He manually turned on the TV before throwing himself onto the bed. He contently lay there, one hand behind his head, the other holding the remote, flipping through hundreds of reality shows. "I thought the point of television was to escape reality," he muttered. True, he watched Ice Road Truckers and it was interesting, but potentially knowing more than your polar opposite would have its advantages (or at least that's what he told himself). John finally settled on the cartoon Tom and Jerry. It didn't really matter; he fell asleep soon after.

The back of an index finger gently grazes John's upper arm. He softly smiles, turns his head to the left, and opens his eyes. John is stunned when it is Veronica he sees lying next to him only wearing black lingerie and not his girlfriend. Speechless, he slowly reaches for the nightstand looking for his lighter, his gaze not leaving hers. She is smiling, unfazed by the movement of his right hand. He pulls his arm back to his side, empty-handed and vulnerable. She props herself up with her elbow and swings her thigh over his midriff. Her knees dig into the mattress as she gazes down at John. She murmurs, "Looking for this?" His brows narrow and he clenches his jaw at the sight of the object. Veronica slowly places the item into her bra. She gets goosebumps when the cold metal object touches her bare breast. "Come and get it," she playfully dares.

A/N: Your mission: leave a review. My mission: keep chapter 20 moving (I'm not staring at blank pages *wink*)